Marco Penge insists illness will not stop him playing alongside Rory McIlroy at DP World Tour Championship

Englishman can still overhaul Northern Irishman at top of Race to Dubai rankings

Marco Penge spent two days in bed this week due to illness ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Getty Images

Marco Penge says sickness will not stop him playing alongside Rory McIlroy again, as he gets ready for the finale to the Race to Dubai.

The 27-year-old Englishman has earned his spot in Thursday’s final two-ball on the opening day of the DP World Tour Championship by being second in the season's money list.

The leading duo in the standings will go off at 12.40pm, which means a second start alongside the Masters champion in the space of two weeks.

Penge relishing prospect of more tee-time with McIlroy in Dubai

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Penge said at the end of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Sunday that he was thrilled to have another chance to play with the world No 2.

The time since, though, has been largely spent battling illness, as he bids to be ready to play in the season-ending event at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“I’ve been in bed the last two days,” Penge said. “I really wanted to play in the Pro-Am [on Tuesday] and I came up here at 7am to see the doctor to see if there was anything I could do to feel better quicker.

“They just sent me home to bed. I didn’t have much choice, but made sure I was ready to go on Thursday. Fortunately enough we have great doctors out here as part of the DP World Tour who pushed me in the right direction, and I was lucky to be here [to practice on Wednesday].

“Regardless of how I feel, I was going to be there on Thursday; obviously, I’m playing with Rory in the final event.”

He could yet overhaul his playing partner at the top of the standings, too. If Penge wins the tournament, he will overhaul McIlroy at the top of the Race to Dubai.

Whatever the outcome this week, Penge will certainly be among the 10 players who earn their PGA Tour card for next season.

He was playing on the second-tier HotelPlanner Tour not so long ago. To win three times in the season and be in with a shot at winning the order of merit is a remarkable achievement.

He is not the only one in the field who has enjoyed a startling rise. The fourth-last match out includes John Parry. The 36-year-old Englishman is seventh in the race, despite playing in pro golf’s third tier not so long ago.

Penge is thrilled for a player he used to split the costs of accommodation with when he was trying to make it back into golf’s elite.

“We actually shared Airbnbs on The Challenge Tour together,” Penge said of Parry, who will play with Alex Noren in the 12.10pm match on Thursday.

“He's a good chef, so he was cooking my dinners. He put his arm around me when we were back there. He's gone from the HotelPlanner Tour to the DP World Tour, and hopefully the PGA Tour.

“I'm super happy for him and his family, and proud of him as a friend, as well. Looking forward to enjoying the experience that we're going to have next year together. I'm rooting for him to do as well as he can this week.”

Penge said Parry’s comeback to the top echelons of European golf should be an inspiration to all players.

“John's a little older than me, so our journeys are on different stages,” Penge said. “Of course, he inspired me but I think more so for every other golfer, it just shows you that you can get knocked down but you can come back. It’s up to you as a person if you want to do that.

“John is a perfect example of that. I think he played up here for maybe four, five, six years, and lost his card and went all the way to the bottom and look at him now.

“He’s a great example for every professional golfer, what you can do. Anything is possible. It's obviously down to you as a person to make that happen.”